Nintendo Switch Sports recently received a new addition to its lexicon of sports — golf. The game was initially released in April of 2022 with six sports available to play, including volleyball, badminton, bowling, soccer, chambara — sword fighting — and tennis. However, golf was added to the game on Nov. 28. Nintendo Switch Sports is playable on the Nintendo Switch and follows in the Nintendo tradition of sports games such as Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort for the Wii, and Wii Sports Club for the Wii U. Let’s take a look at a ranking of the seven sports in the game.

7. Badminton

Badminton falls to the bottom of the list for three main reasons. First and foremost, it is easily the most boring sport to play as the individual points are incredibly repetitive. The player has little control over the movement and hit style used, so badminton tends to feel very luck-based as the computer makes decisions for the player. Secondly, badminton is even more egregious because Nintendo Switch Sports has tennis, which is vastly superior despite the similarities between the two sports. Finally, badminton only lets two players play at once which dampens its fun in large group settings.

6. Volleyball

Next up on the list is volleyball, which is a solid improvement over badminton but still falls flat as an individual sport. Volleyball’s strength is that there are three different ways to hit the ball — bump, set and spike. Unfortunately, every possession of the ball features the same three-shot sequence in the same order, which gets repetitive quickly. Luckily, volleyball allows four players to play at once, but that is not enough to save the sport from the bottom half of the list.

5. Soccer

Soccer might be the most hit-or-miss sport in Nintendo Switch Sports, as some of its game modes are quite enjoyable while others are barely playable. The best game mode for soccer is easily one-on-one, as players can challenge each other or the computer in a fun matchup. However, the four-on-four mode is too chaotic and the field is unnecessarily large. Furthermore, the shoot-out mode is ridiculously simple and feels basic compared to all of the other game modes.

4. Chambara

Right at the middle of the list is chambara, which is very similar to swordplay in Wii Sports Resort. The mode is at its best when dueling a friend — or foe — as the three rounds of battle give both players a fair shot to win, but the games move fast enough so that those watching do not get bored. However, chambara struggles as the hitboxes of the players can be frustratingly inconsistent and the blocking is finicky as well. Chambara is overall an excellent game that is perfect for tournament-style play among large groups of people.

3. Bowling

Bowling is a staple sport for Nintendo as it and golf are the only sports playable in Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Sports Club and Nintendo Switch Sports. Although it easily could have gotten stale by this point, bowling earns its spot in Nintendo Switch Sports with its consistent, crowd-pleasing fun that allows four people to play even if only one controller is present, due to the pass-and-play system. Furthermore, bowling shines with its “special” mode that features obstacles of varying difficulty added to the lane to keep things interesting.

2. Golf

The newest addition to Nintendo Switch Sports is also one of the best as golf delivers with its patient and skill-based gameplay. Golf allows players to play through 21 different holes in groups of up to four, but is also perhaps the most enjoyable sport in the game to play alone. What sets golf above the rest of the sports is that there is almost no luck in the game, as players are entirely reliant on their own driving, chipping and putting abilities. The random wind added to each hole also improves gameplay as it makes each playthrough different. However, golf is not at the top of the list because it can move too slowly, making it worse for large groups of people, and unfortunately all of the holes are ripped straight from Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.

1. Tennis

Tennis is the all-around best sport on Nintendo Switch Sports because of its versatility. While bowling may be the most fun to play in large groups and golf when playing alone, tennis is fun to play in almost any scenario. Whether playing with friends in groups of up to four, alone on the computer or online, players can enjoy the sport regardless and appreciate the nuances of the game. From the ability to perform quick serves to putting a spin on the ball, tennis is so much fun because the more one plays, the better one gets. Similarly, tennis gives players the choice of playing one, three or five sets, allowing them to determine how long they want to play.